 Phoenix Suns |
|
 New Orleans Hornets |
| 23-9 | 22-11 | |
| 7:00 PM Mountain / 9:00 PM Eastern | ||
| TV: FSN AZ HD, NBA League Pass | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Steve Nash | PG | Chris Paul |
| Raja Bell | SG | Morris Peterson |
| Grant Hill | SF | Peja Stojakovic |
| Shawn Marion | PF | David West |
| Amare Stoudemire | C | Tyson Chandler |
Quick, without looking at the standings, name the team with the best road record in the West. The Suns, right? Nope. Not anymore. After the Christmas Day loss in LA, they are now a close second. So it must be the Spurs, right? Nope. Not even close. In fact, the Spurs have a losing record on the road at 5-7. So do the Mavericks who are 6-8. The team with the best road record in the West is the New Orleans Hornets--the same Hornets who beat the Suns about three weeks ago in a game nobody remembers thanks to games against the Spurs and Mavericks immediately afterwards. The Hornets sit tied with Dallas for the second best record in the tough Southwest Division. Oh, and their wins haven't all come against weak teams either. In fact, the Hornets have more wins against their own conference than any other team in the West, good for second-best record amongst Western teams against teams in their own conference. In addition to the win over the Suns, they also have wins over the Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Warriors. In other words, the Suns should have their hands full tonight.
I'm expecting this game to be ever bit as nail-biting as this one was last March, hopefully with the same result: